Ma Long was startled, "Hao Ge, what's with the big fuss? I'm a bit nervous."
"No, it's nothing. I just want to be prepared in case anything happens. We need to focus ahead and give ourselves a few days to adapt. Is everyone okay with that?" Li Hao smiled.
Zhou Naiyi and the others had no objections. Huo Ying couldn't wait any longer. "Captain, let's do it, the more special and fierce, the better. I love excitement."
Watching the excited Huo Ying, Jerrys laughed. "I don't know about anything else, but it will definitely be exciting. I just don't know if your hearts can handle it."
"Zi Yuan, Ling Xiao, you don't have to go. It's a good time to take a break," Li Hao said. He felt that the training team was not very friendly towards female students, especially those who were not in the mecha department.
Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao glanced at each other. "Do we need to keep it a secret?"
"It's not about keeping it a secret, I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Li Hao replied.
Tan Ziyuan shook her head firmly and looked at Li Hao seriously. "Captain, I am the team's secretary. Do you think I am unprofessional?"
"I am Zi Yuan's assistant. Hmph, I'm going too!" Lu Lingxiao waved her fist, expressing her professionalism.
Li Hao rubbed his nose. If Tan Ziyuan was considered amateur, then there wouldn't be much professionalism left. "Alright, you guys do what you can handle. Don't force yourselves. Jerrys, are you guys ready on your end?"
Jerrys gestured that they were ready. "Principal Long is quite interesting."
Li Hao really managed to stir everyone's interest. The group arrived at the newly built laboratory of Tianjing Mecha Academy. Along the way, everyone saluted Jerrys whenever they saw him.
In this field, Jerrys was the king.
Everyone entered the room. Behind the tempered glass was a very large and healthy giant insect, with a shiny color indicating that it was well taken care of. There were traces of fresh blood on the ground.
"Hao Ge, what are you doing? Are you going to dissect it again?" Ma Long asked.
"We need to understand its structure. It's not interesting. I prefer cutting, not taking it slow," Li Hao replied.
"Dissect it? This one looks intact. Isn't it a waste?" Ma Long always considered economic value.
Zhou Naiyi and Wu Zang didn't say anything, but they already realized something. Zhou Naiyi's face turned pale. With mechas, she wasn't afraid, but what if there were no mechas?
Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao were fine because they had seen many images and wouldn't feel much. Besides, they didn't realize what Li Hao was planning to do.
The door opened, and Principal Long also arrived.
"Hello, Principal!"
Principal Long waved her hand. "Li Hao, are you sure you want to do something so dangerous?"
"Principal, it's not dangerous. I think everyone is ready. Our bodies and skills have reached a bottleneck, and mental growth is much needed. Although it's simple to confront the insects mentally, it has the most direct effect," Li Hao said.
Zhou Naiyi and Wu Zang guessed it, and Ma Long and Zuo Xiaotang immediately protested.
"What? Confronting the fear of the insects??" Ma Long's pupils dilated, and his body shivered.
Li Hao nodded, and Ma Long couldn't take it anymore. "No, Hao Ge, I'm not ready. This is too big of a deal. I won't be lazy anymore. Let's take it slow or change the plan. This is not something a human should do!"
"No, you are ready. Awakening the golden zone makes you stronger against it," Li Hao said with a smile. "Of course, the rebound will be stronger too."
Ma Long felt relieved at first, but then almost choked.
Principal Long nodded. "Then let's begin. Stay safe!" She was a decisive person who believed that taking risks was necessary for great achievements.
"Okay, today is just a trial. Let's all go down together. Don't worry, it's very safe," Li Hao led the way, followed by Wu Zang and the others. Ma Long wanted to run, but Huo Ying grabbed him by the collar and dragged him down. He deserved it for mocking himself earlier.
"Hao Ge, Principal, can we discuss this? Principal, give us a chance..." Ma Long struggled as he was being dragged away.
Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao looked at each other. They had never experienced the fear of the giant insects, but judging from everyone's reactions, it was probably not simple.
As they rode the elevator down, no one spoke. Everyone held their breath, and the sound of their pounding hearts could be heard.
Li Hao turned around and smiled. "It's alright. They are just bigger dung beetles. Don't be fooled by their appearance. In their eyes, we are also scary."
Ma Long forced a smile, but his mouth twitched. He no longer had the mood to make jokes. Damn it, if they didn't drool, he wouldn't share the same last name as the insects.
In the observation room, Long Danni glanced at the relaxed Jerrys. "Can safety be guaranteed?"
Jerrys pushed his glasses and smiled. "Principal Long, you have seen the world. You don't think this level is enough for the S tournament, do you?"
Are you kidding? Safety is never a concern when it comes to enhancing strength in Tianqi.
"Safety is the top priority for me now that I'm not in the military," Long Danni didn't back down.
"Don't worry, don't worry. With Second Brother here, we won't fail. Just sit back and enjoy the show," even though they were not in the same system, Jerrys still had to give some face to Long Danni. After all, Second Brother was under her command now.
The elevator door opened. It only took a few seconds, but it felt longer than ever. Zuo Xiaotang was sweating, and everyone except Li Hao and Wu Zang was struggling.
As soon as they appeared, the Razor Giant Insect became agitated, but it was already securely restrained. The thick titanium alloy chains on its arms were being pulled and made a loud noise. Its big mouth let out a piercing roar, and saliva splattered.Facing the direct impact, everyone's heartbeats intensified. Li Hao walked over to a line on the ground, five meters away from the Giant Insect. Ignoring the raging insect, he said, "Come, stand on this line, one by one. Wu Zang, you go first."
Without hesitation, Wu Zang stepped towards the Giant Insect. Unlike Li Hao, who seemed to be strolling casually, each step Wu Zang took was met with the direct mental assault of the insect. Its roar seemed to be aimed directly at his soul, as if it wanted to devour him.
However, Wu Zang never averted his gaze. He stared directly at the snarling, clawing Giant Insect, step by step, until he finally stood on the line. In an instant, his muscles tensed up. Facing the Giant Insect, he could no longer move, completely immersed in the confrontation.
"The kid from the Wu family is good, genuinely tough, with a unified mental and physical resilience," Jerrys commented with a smile, adjusting his glasses. A flash of blue light passed, "And, he's lucky."
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Truth be told, without Li Hao, he would just be excellent, with no chance of reaching the top. There are always more horses than riders.
Long Danni remained silent, just watching. She knew how terrifying the Giant Insect's intimidation was. One misstep could lead to mental issues. She understood Li Hao's intentions, but it was too risky. Therefore, she had to watch personally and stop it once it crossed the risk line.
Achievements were desirable, but she was a teacher first.
Seeing Wu Zang standing firm, Li Hao turned around and waved at the others, "Huo Ying, Zuo Xiaotang, you two go together."
Huo Ying was not afraid, but his... damn legs had gone soft. Damn it, it was too embarrassing. Screw you, stinking bug, I'm not afraid!
Huo Ying struggled to stagger forward. Although there was a distance between him and the Giant Insect, which was tightly tethered, it felt as if it was right in front of him, ready to swallow him at any moment.
And then a surprising scene occurred... Zuo Xiaotang just sauntered over, mumbling something under his breath.
Facing the Giant Insect with closed eyes was useless. The mental intimidation was direct fear, but it seemed to have no effect on Zuo Xiaotang.
Jerrys in the observation room was taken aback, "Huh, this is interesting. Wait, could it be heart flow control? But this chubby kid doesn't qualify for that. Well, there's another freak in the team."
Zuo Xiaotang stood on the line quite easily, but he remained motionless, as if maintaining a certain thought, muttering words under his breath.
Huo Ying moved very slowly, almost crawling... but he always maintained a confrontational attitude. For Huo Ying, being unable to beat the insect had nothing to do with courage. He just had to face it. But being a coward was not an option.
In the short distance of a few meters, Huo Ying took seven or eight minutes to reach the line. The moment he stood on it, his muscles bulged and his expression became ferocious, baring his teeth and snarling. It was clear that he was ready for a fight.
"Why didn't you let Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long go first?" Lu Lingxiao was a bit puzzled.
"Wu Zang is the strongest, Zuo Xiaotang has a unique skill, and Huo Ying's body is solid, with a single-minded focus. So these three are actually the strongest. With them sharing the burden, Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long will have an easier time. Zhou Naiyi is strong, but she's delicate and has a shadow of the Giant Insect, which weakens her. Ma Long is a bit weak, his sneaky character can easily collapse in front of the Giant Insect," Jerrys explained, glancing at Tan Ziyuan and Lu Lingxiao. Not to mention anything else, the girls from Tianjing have quite a combat power in terms of looks and temperament.
Long Danni nodded silently. Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long began to move forward in sync. When it was time to step up, Ma Long didn't dawdle. Zhou Naiyi was clearly under a lot of pressure. With her awakened Golden Zone power, she shouldn't be so stressed, but she had been attacked by a Giant Insect before and still had some lingering fear. Fear, the more you dread it, the more powerful it becomes. Mental pressure largely stems from self-consumption, and this is what Zhou Naiyi must face.
Fortunately, there were already three people in front, and they had plenty of time to mentally prepare. Zhou Naiyi still moved forward steadily.
Ma Long moved with a swagger, no longer the casual demeanor he usually had, and he had already entered the Red Pupil state.
Finally, the two of them also stood on the line, bearing the furious pressure from the Giant Insect. This Giant Insect was healthier, and its mental intimidation was more intense, like a stormy sea bombarding the five of them wave after wave. At this point, there was no way back. Everyone could only resist. Once they gave up, their spirits would collapse.
This thought surged in everyone's hearts. They had to resist to the death. There was no way back.
Wu Zang was very steady, extremely steady. But this was his first time undergoing such training. It was clear that he had exerted too much force at the beginning, and he had been at it the longest. Cold sweat had already broken out.
Zuo Xiaotang... was surprisingly in the best condition. He seemed to be in a strange state, as if the Giant Insect had no effect on him. Of course, the premise was that he had to maintain this state.
Huo Ying had started to tremble, his body shaking irregularly, his face alternating between red and white.
Zhou Naiyi and Ma Long were about the same. Both had already entered the Golden Zone. If they controlled it well and kept their emotions stable, they should be about the same as Wu Zang and wouldn't need to show their trump cards. But the two of them exerted more force. They had done several rounds of mental preparation beforehand, but when they actually faced it, they had already crossed more than half of the line, wasting too much mental energy.
